The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov was not allowed to leave France
Agency
29/08/2024
The Russian-born billionaire is being investigated for a number of suspected offenses related to criminal activity on the Telegram platform.
PARIS: Telegram founder Pavel Durov is now under official investigation and is not allowed to leave France, according to a statement issued by French prosecutors on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the Russian-born billionaire is being investigated for several offenses suspected to be related to criminal activities on the Telegram platform, including complicity in illegal group transactions, "criminal money laundering in organized groups" and refusal to provide information to authorities.
"Durov must remain in France under judicial supervision, with bail set at US$5.6 million (5 million euros), and he is required to report to French police stations twice a week
"Earlier that day, Durov was released from police custody in France and was transferred to court for questioning", the prosecutor said.
This comes days after his dramatic arrest at a Paris airport.
The official investigation announced on Wednesday does not mean that Durov is guilty in the French legal system, but indicates that prosecutors believe there is enough evidence to start a serious official investigation.
However, Durov has yet to be formally charged.
The statement from the prosecutor's office also said that the French National Office and Juvenile Affairs had reported to the prosecutor's office about "almost no response" from Telegram to court requests related to offenses including trafficking, online hate speech, and pedophilia crimes.
The suspected actions being investigated include "complicity in the management of a platform that enables illegal transactions in an organized group," an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Durov, 39, was arrested at Paris Bourget Airport on Saturday on a warrant related to moderation deficiencies on Telegram.
He is being investigated on charges involving various crimes, including allegations that his platform conspired to help fraudsters, drug dealers and individuals who distribute child pornography.
Telegram, which lacks content moderation, has also drawn attention for its use by terrorist groups and right-wing extremists.
Taking this situation into account, Durov was detained for 96 hours, the maximum period a person can be detained under French law before being charged.
Durov's arrest sparked a debate over freedom of speech, raising particular concerns in Ukraine and Russia, where Telegram is hugely popular and has become an important means of communication among military personnel and civilians during Moscow's war with the neighboring country.
In addition, Russia criticized Paris for detaining Durov.
"It seems to me that all this once again shows the true attitude of the French leadership, which openly violates international norms in the field of the protection of freedom of speech and expression,
"Only for one reason that they protect certain standards, they must not only adhere to them, but they must also protect and implement them", according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The Kremlin sought to allay concerns in Russia about the app's future, with Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov seeking to fend off calls for Telegram users in Russia to delete their sensitive messages on the app.
Telegram was launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother, Nikolai.
According to a post from Durov last month, the app now has more than 950 million users, making it one of the most used messaging platforms in the world.
